Restaurant Website Brief Template
Build restaurant and hospitality websites that actually drive bookings and orders — not just look good. This brief template covers reservations, ordering, menu workflows, and the local-SEO levers most restaurant sites get wrong.
Best for: Web agencies and freelancers scoping a website for a single restaurant, a multi-location group, a café, bar, or hospitality brand.
Why this brief matters
- Most restaurant sites lose 30%+ of bookings to a third-party platform that takes 15% commission.
- Menu updates happen weekly — if the CMS isn't 1-click easy, the site goes stale.
- Online ordering, reservations, and Google Business are three separate problems with three separate tools.
- Mobile is 80%+ of traffic; load time and the click-to-call button matter more than the hero video.
What every restaurant brief must cover
1. Reservations & ordering
OpenTable, Resy, SevenRooms, Tock — or a direct widget? Online ordering via Square, Toast, Deliverect, or first-party? Commission rates, customer data ownership, and POS sync all matter here.
2. Menu & content workflow
How often menus change, who edits them, dietary tags (vegan, gluten-free, allergens), seasonal items, and whether prices show on the site or only in-house.
3. Locations & local SEO
Single location vs. group, per-location pages, Google Business Profile, schema markup for opening hours and menus, and how Apple Maps + Google Maps stay in sync.
4. Brand experience
Photography (food, room, team), tone of voice, story-telling for the chef/owner, and how the website reflects the in-room experience.
5. Events, private hire & gift cards
Christmas menus, private bookings, gift card sales, ticketed events — small revenue lines that the website often forgets entirely.
Sample questions to ask the client
Drop these straight into your discovery call or intake form.
- Q1.Which reservation system do you use today, and what commission do you pay?
- Q2.Are you taking online orders for collection or delivery — and through which provider?
- Q3.How often does the menu change, and who updates it?
- Q4.Do you need allergen and dietary filters on menu items?
- Q5.How many locations will the site cover — now and in 12 months?
- Q6.Is gift card sale, private hire, or events part of the project?
- Q7.What photography is available (food, room, team) and is a shoot in scope?
- Q8.Which POS system does the website need to talk to?
- Q9.What's the single biggest revenue lever — bookings, orders, or events?
- Q10.Who owns and posts to the Google Business Profile today?
Common pitfalls
- ×Embedding OpenTable as an iframe and calling it 'reservations' — losing all the analytics and brand control.
- ×No menu CMS — the agency becomes a support desk for weekly text changes.
- ×Forgetting per-location landing pages on a group site — kills local SEO.
- ×Stock photography of generic food. It always reads as a lie.
KPIs to align on
- ✓Direct bookings
- ✓Direct online orders
- ✓Click-to-call rate
- ✓Google Business actions
- ✓Bounce rate on mobile
Frequently asked questions
What should a restaurant website brief include?
Reservation and ordering systems with commission rates, menu update workflow, multi-location structure, local SEO and Google Business strategy, photography plan, and any side revenue lines like gift cards and private hire.
Should a restaurant accept reservations directly on its website?
Yes — even when you use OpenTable or Resy, embed the booking flow with a deep-linked widget so customers stay on-brand and you keep the analytics. Direct bookings have 2–4× higher repeat rates than third-party.
Square, Toast, Deliverect — which online ordering platform should we recommend?
If the client already has a POS, use its native ordering (Square, Toast, Lightspeed) to avoid double-entry. Deliverect is the right choice when they sell on Deliveroo/Uber Eats and want one menu source. Avoid building a custom ordering flow unless the volume justifies it.
How important is page speed for a restaurant website?
Critical. 80%+ of traffic is mobile and intent is high (people looking for tonight's dinner). A 4-second load time on 4G typically loses 30%+ of that traffic before the page renders.
Run this brief for your next restaurant client
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